Mission Impossible
by Bren Williams
Summary: Castle catches Beckett with her pants down.  A fun, fluffy ending for Cops & Robbers, spoilers for episode 4.07
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p><em><strong>November 7, 2011<strong>_

__As Good As On Paper chapter 26 is coming. It needs a major rewrite and I haven't felt ready to do it. Think of this as a warm-up exercise.__

_This story takes place immediately after Cops & Robbers. Just so you know, this is another one of those stories that I dash off without breaking a sweat and so it will undoubtedly feel less polished to those who read my other work. _

_I imagined this last week, but didn't bother writing it down. Of course, I also didn't have the interesting twist this chapter has, which opens up so many possibilities. It might take me a bit to narrow my options down to just one! It actually began on the Castle forum, known as The 12th, with a write your own ending topic posted by luv2sk87. I'm glad I wandered in there or I probably never would have written this scene! _

_Please follow me on twitter for story updates, **atbren_williams**. Please see my profile for more details. _

**_SPOILERS FOR COPS & ROBBERS, episode 4.07._**

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><p><strong><em>Mission Impossible<em>**

It was an amiable family atmosphere with much teasing and so forth. Since Martha and Alexis cooked, Castle and Beckett were on cleanup duty. Finally, Martha headed upstairs, Alexis, still moping after her breakup with Ashley, followed moments later.

Castle's eyes followed Alexis up as she disappeared, and his voice drifted off in the middle of his tale.

"Do you need to check on her?" Kate asked, seeing the concern in his eyes.

"Yeah, I think I will." His gaze returned to Kate's. "Do you mind?"

"Go." she answered. "I'll be fine."

He nodded, "I'll be back in a moment." He hurried upstairs, and she watched him go, smiling again, that small smile that always seemed to appear when Castle exercised his _concerned father _role.

Kitchen clean, she refilled her glass of wine, and wandered across the loft, pulling the door to his office open. The room was lit by jagged chunks of light slipping through the gaps in the shelves and falling to the floor or desk. She hesitated, her eyes wandering across the room, before she strolled to the desk. She trailed her fingers across the satiny surface as she considered the space where Richard Castle wrote the novels that gripped her from start to finish, the sex scenes-no. The love scenes between Jamison Rook and Nikki Heat. She'd never admit it to him, but those scenes held her more enthralled than any other, the spare details were utterly unnecessary to her imagination, as she already knew what Jamison Rook looked and sounded like. Only too many times her thoughts wrapped around him, around herself and Castle...

Dangerous thoughts, she chided herself in the quiet of the loft. She sipped her wine and turned away from his desk, glancing around the office again, she noticed the door tucked into the corner for the first time.

_A closet?_ she wondered. _Storage? _But she knew enough of the loft's floor plan to know what lay somewhere behind it. Frowning, she considered it. Twenty feet away, off the living room, his bedroom door was on the same wall. She bit her lip, fighting curiosity. She glanced toward the stairs. The only sound was the distant whir of the dishwasher, and her own heart, pounding in her ears.

She moved toward the closed door. One last peek at the empty staircase through the shelves of the bookcase, and she gripped the knob, turning it carefully as she pushed it open.

The room beyond was hung in shadows, the dark windows doing little to illuminate it. Kate left the door open as she entered, her heels clicking on the wood floor before a lush carpet dampened their sound.

It was his bedroom, the decor both warm and masculine, like him. Her eyes lingered on the bull elephant charging out of its frame where it hung on the wall, so powerful, so close, she felt captivated, vulnerable before its raw power. It seemed ready to come alive and trample her. She almost wished he would-that _Castle_ would.

She tore her eyes away, finding instead a male lion, also sending shivers down her back. She turned toward the wide bed that was the room's center piece. She ran her hand over the dark leather of the headboard, her fingertips trailing over the maroon throw cushions. She smiled. How many times had she imagined this room or the feel of this bed? The thoughts had taken her unawares the first time, before she'd been willing to admit her attraction, or that she _liked_ working with Castle. Then one day, everything changed, in her heart at least.

She tested the mattress with her fingertips, feeling its give. This was one of those days, when she wanted to forget about the careful path she'd chosen months ago, and let herself stop thinking, and embrace the emotions roiling around inside her, feel him along every inch of her body and finally... Her knee seemed to rise on its own, pushing against the edge of the bed as she tried to turn herself away. Her body had other ideas, and she found herself sitting on the bed's edge, one foot tucked beneath her, wine sloshing in the goblet.

She belonged here.

She _wanted_ to belong here, she corrected herself, her fingers splayed as she explored the nubby texture of the coverlet. She wanted to be more than partners... She stretched out, lying on her side, feeling the firm support of the mattress, breathing deeply of the myriad scents teasing her senses. She sighed, thinking of the solid friendship and partnership at the heart of their relationship now. A frown marred her brow.

Someday, they would have more of each other, she vowed to herself, in the meantime... her gaze wandered over the headboard and cushions again. She wanted to leave something behind. Something he could find and recognize as hers. Nothing too identifiable... the ring and the watch, he'd know. If her handcuffs weren't completely necessary for her work, she'd consider leaving them. A corner of her mouth tipped up. Would he notice if she left without her bra? Probably. Her panties? The small smile widened as she imagine him finding such a personal, sexy item in his bed tonight, his perplexity at how they came to be there... He'd know whose they were, of that there could be no doubt. But it would hang in the air between them, unspoken...

She rolled to her feet, grinning as she set her wineglass aside and unfastened her jeans, kicking her heels off. She'd have to hurry. If he found her partially disrobed in his bedroom, he'd- It'd be more awkward than she wanted to think about. She grimaced as she shimmied her jeans toward her ankles, her panties sliding with them.

"Kate?"

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><p><strong><em>C'mon! Leave a review! You know you want to! <em>**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._**

**_November 12, 2011_**

_In spite of the fact that I doubt any continuation can completely pay off that cliffhanger… I'm going to try to resolve this story in one chapter. Many thanks to my writer friends in helping me brainstorm possible endings, and to my husband whom I adore._

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><p><em><strong>Chapter Two<strong>_

"Kate?" Castle called again, from somewhere.

Bent over, barefoot, bare-assed, with her jeans bunched around her calves; Kate's head jerked up and she froze for the space of a heartbeat, her heart drumming a staccato while her eyes darted to the open doorways. How could she have been so stupid—She cut off her inner diatribe as her training kicked in, formulating pathways of retreat even as she yanked up the jeans bunched around her calves. Her panties resisted her efforts, preferring to stay in place and rolling over themselves in rebellion. She yanked harder.

She'd missed the quiet sound of his footsteps on the stairs, and his voice came as much from the open doorway from the living room as the one she'd entered moments ago, still spilling light from his office over the bedroom flooring.

She listened for the changes that denoted his movement in either direction as he called her name again, from the office. Her jeans up to her thighs, she tiptoed toward the living room before remembering her shoes. Desperately, she scooped them up in one hand, hanging on to her jeans with the other as she shuffled toward the living room door.

Using all the stealth of her police training, she slipped through the doorway, pausing to gauge his location with her shoes clutched in one hand, ass hanging out, tugging desperately on her jeans. Her traitorous panties rolled mercilessly against her efforts to cover herself. She glanced over her shoulder, and gasped as his shadowed silhouette appeared in the rectangle of light allowed in by the office door.

The bedroom light came on behind her and she glanced wildly around for a retreat, and leapt through the first open door across the hall, nearly crying with relief. She kept the knob turned as she eased it shut behind her. Her pumps clutched to her chest, she slumped against the wall, breathing heavily.

It was the powder room. Setting her shoes on the floor as silently as possible, she straightened her panties, wiggling them securely over her bottom at last.

"Kate?"

She started at his voice right outside, her heart kicking into high gear again.

"Are you in there?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be right out." She pushed both hands through her hair, checking her appearance in the mirror, hoping Castle wouldn't notice how shaken she was. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before reaching for the knob.

_Dammit! I need a cover!_ Grimacing, she eased it back to its home position and flushed the toilet, washing her hands out of habit. Again drawing in several deep breaths, she checked her reflection. Squaring her shoulders she opened the door at last.

"Hey," she greeted him, doing her best to exude calm.

"Hey," he answered, lounging against the wall, an odd expression on his face. "You okay?"

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear again. "Yeah, yeah." She caught sight of a smirk, swiftly hidden. "I'm just…" she swallowed awkwardly, "not feeling that well."

"Ah well," he gave a furtive glance at the staircase, "Mother's cooking tends to have that effect. There's some Tums in my bathroom." The corner of his mouth curled upward and he raised a brow, "Would you—"

"That won't be necessary." She cut across him. "But thank you." There was an awkward silence and she found him watching her, one corner of his mouth turned up in an odd smirk. Again. She glanced around, looking anywhere but at him. "I should probably be going."

The smirk disappeared and he seemed disappointed. "It's still early."

She gave what she hoped was an offhand shrug and brushed passed him, reaching for her coat. "I work tomorrow and since my _partner_ refuses to help me with paperwork…"

His crooked grin was back, "I'll call my car service."

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><p>Kate did nothing to hide the involuntary smile as she looked up, recognizing Castle's presence beside her chair in the precinct.<p>

"Hey, Castle." She leaned back, still smiling. "Finally going to do your part, huh?"

"Why you want an expert in fiction writing your paperwork continues to escape me." He set a red capped coffee mug on the desk before her.

She picked it up, frowning at the images on the outside. "Mickey Mouse?" She raised a brow. "Really, Castle?"

He lounged in his usual seat, smiling benignly.

"Are you starting a second childhood?"

"More like my third or fourth." He quirked his own brow in response, but his smile was a bit too smug. "The mug is for you."

"For me?" She frowned, looking from him to the mug and back again. "What makes you think I want a Mickey Mouse travel mug?"

His grin widened and the smug factor increased exponentially, but his voice was as smooth as silk. "It matches your _tattoo_."

Her mouth fell open and she stared at him, flabbergasted. "Wha—What do you mean?"

Grinning, he sipped from his own mug, which belatedly, she noted sported a similar Minnie Mouse design. "What _were_ you doing in my room last night, anyway?"

"I—" Stunned, she could think of no response.

"Not that I mind. Your visit provided most," his eyelids drooped to half-mast as he purred, "_interesting_ views."

She licked her lips, staring at him, processing the new information. He'd seen her after all, and he'd let her go to tease her later. God, he'd seen her tattoo… A delicious quiver ran through her and her heart quickened, warmth flooding her body. She glanced away, letting her hair fall forward to obscure her face from his view.

It must be driving him nuts, trying to reconstruct her intentions.

She chanced a sideways glance at him. His lips were parted as he stared at her. He wanted her. Another thrill ran through her as excitement sang through her body. She feigned nonchalance, idly turning a page on the report in front of her, purring, "I don't know what you mean..."

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><p><em>This is as far as I intend to take it at this time. <strong>As Good As On Paper<strong> is so close to being done, I cannot allow this delightful fluff to distract me further, fun though it was. __This story goes on, of course, but to my way of thinking, these scenes only exist to ramp up the sexual tension for the next part of the story/episode._

_What do you think of this closure, and I'd love to hear your thoughts about Kate's tattoo. Review, please?_


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